Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program: Advanced Field Epidemiology Track
The Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program (PHFP) – Advanced Field Epidemiology Track is a prestigious two-year, non-degree, full-time fellowship designed to cultivate Uganda’s next generation of public health leaders. Established in 2015 by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in collaboration with Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the program is modeled after the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. It is hosted at the Uganda National Institute of Public Health (UNIPH). Program Structure
Eligibility: Applicants must hold a master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, veterinary public health, health services research, nutrition, environmental health, or related fields.
Training Model: Fellows dedicate approximately 80% of their time to field- based projects within MoH departments, regional, and district health teams, and 20% to didactic training.
Competency Domains:
o Field Epidemiology (e.g., outbreak investigations, surveillance system evaluations)
o Applied Epidemiologic Studies
o Public Health Surveillance
o Scientific and Non-Scientific Communication
o Public Health Programming (e.g., cost analysis, quality improvement)
o Management and Leadership
Deliverables: Fellows are required to complete a portfolio demonstrating competencies, including leading outbreak investigations, conducting epidemiologic studies, publishing articles, and presenting at scientific conferences.
Impact and Achievements
Since inception to 2025, PHFP has enrolled over 131 fellows who have conducted more than 250 outbreak investigations, including responses to Ebola, malaria, measles, and foodborne illnesses. Fellows have contributed to over 500 projects, including surveillance data analyses, system evaluations, and quality improvement initiatives. The program has enhanced Uganda’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies, with fellows playing key roles during the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing health facility preparedness and informing national response strategies.
Fellows, staff and graduates have also played key roles during other critical disease outbreak responses like Ebola Virus Disease, measles, cholera etc. PHFP has been recognized internationally, receiving the 2024 U.S. CDC Director’s Award for Excellence in outbreak investigation and public health response. It has also received
a host of other awards at both international and national conferences. PHFP has also published 160 manuscripts from fellow’s projects.
Application and Contact
The program annually admits a cohort of fellows through a competitive selection
process. Interested candidates should monitor announcements on the UNIPH
website for application deadlines and requirements.